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Glite Dictionary
🐝 A sharp organ 🍸 A mint drink 💬 A cutting remark 🎬 An extra scene
stinger

stinger

1 6.0
A short extra scene after the credits that teases future events
  • noun
  • /ˈstɪŋər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : escena postcréditos
  • So much of the running time deals with dysfunctional families and teenagers with "issues" that by the time anything remotely "scary" happens, most of the audience will have likely fallen asleep, only to be awoken by a stinger on the film's soundtrack signaling, "Wake up!"

Examples

  • During the credits, there was a stinger that hinted at a sequel, making everyone excited for what's next.

  • Really, just by the way the show was structured (no seeing his body in a morgue or anything), Coulson couldn't have been any blatantly less dead if he'd been featured in the end credits stinger scene, hanging out with you-know-who.

    Blog text (31)

  • Into the Woods stinger... well, the Sondheim musical of the same name would still be fresh in their minds.

    Blog text (23)

  • The stinger at the end of the movie gave us a hilarious surprise that left the audience cheering.

  • In the final moments of the show, a stinger teased the next adventure with a funny twist that made us all laugh.

How Dramatic

cliffhanger
20 5.3
big reveal
7 3.8
stinger
  • Jargon
1 6.0

Surface Forms

stinger singular
stingers plural

Morphology

stinger = sting (semi-transparent) = sting + er

The film/TV sense is jargonally extended from 'sting' (a small pointed or surprising element); the link is metaphorical and may not be obvious to learners.

Etymology

Stinger for a short scene at the end of a show borrows the idea of sting as 'a quick sharp bite' or surprise. So a TV or film stinger is a small, final moment that gives a last laugh or hint and leaves a strong impression.